Since becoming his wife, very little has changed between Capable and Nux, though a great deal has changed between herself and the War Boys - seemingly overnight. Furiosa's authority and occasional presence alongside her had previously kept her mostly safe from any real physical harm down in the catacombs, but it did not protect her the many smaller indignities she constantly faces. Now, however, Nux's name has all of the boys, even the most intimidating among them, giving her space and deferring to her requests. They even allow her to finally free the 'blood-bags', and she is thankful to see that many healthy donors have been found that will willingly offer blood transfusions for extra food rations. There is still a long way to go towards salvaging the health of the War Boys and the common laborers. She is only able to admit within the privacy of her own mind that the reason for her impatience for fixing the boys may have more to do with the one who made this all possible.
Despite her progress in gaining the cooperation of the War Boys, her relationship with Nux had become somewhat more strained. He is no longer as open and affectionate as he was while she tended to his recovery. He still offers small touches when they are in the presence of others - to cement her place as his wife - but when they are alone he steadfastly avoids initiating any form of contact, and he is tense when she attempts to draw him near to her. He stays in the vault to help guard Capable and her sisters, Furiosa's solitary quarters are also close by, but he remains in the separate sleeping space formerly occupied by the girl's caretaker, and insists that Capable stay with the other women. Still, one evening after a very long, unsuccessful day of trying to prevent the workers from stealing food rations from each other, she finally convinces him to rest in her bunk. She remains sitting but gently pulls his head down into her lap as she quietly smoothes away the frown lines from him forehead. He was caught in the middle of several fights over supplies, and though he came out them without any real injury to himself, he remains frustrated and irritable. Some of his frustration is aimed at the workers, who have been given enough but are still so greedy for more, and willing to take it from others who need it. But mostly he is angry at himself for disappointing her. Back when he was still healing she had spoken to him of all her lovely plans to help restore the city. The future she had painted gleamed like chrome, and he wanted more than anything to be able to stand again and work and bring this vision to her. He had never known hope before, but now he saw it in her. He becomes lost in thoughts of this day going very differently, of pleasing his wife and commanding the respect of the workers, and allows Capable to continue caressing his head. It has been so hard to deny himself her soft touches, which feel like cool water against his fevered skin. His thoughts go further, imagining she is his real wife, that he gets to come back to her every day and have her touch him just like this. He pictures them sharing a bed each night, him curling up behind her and burying his face in her fiery hair. He imagines kissing her softly when they wake each morning, slipping his hands under her clothing and…
Nux throws himself off the bed immediately at this train thought, startling Capable in the process. He lands on the hard floor and begins awkwardly bashing his head against it to clear it of thoughts he should not be having. Capable is lovely and perfect and he should not be fantasizing about her as if he deserves her. She has been nothing but kind to him, a friend, and he will not take advantage of her, or even consider what it would be like to have her want him like that. The woman in question rushes down to keep him from hurting himself further, cradling his head into the softness of her chest. She looks down at him to see Nux's eyes screwed shut and looking pained. It is on the tip of her tongue to ask him what's wrong, but she knows he will not answer in this state. She tries something else instead.
"You were so good out there today, so brave…" She coos.
Nux is startled at her words, they were not what he was expecting to hear. And also, to his thoughts, not true. He pulls out of her embrace to look at her in disbelief.
"Didn't help anything. Couldn't stop them stealing, couldn't fix any of it." Nux is tempted to go back to bashing his skull but knows it will only upset Capable further.
"Nux, it's alright. We couldn't really expect to fix everything today. But you helped me, even when everyone else just told me it wouldn't do much good. The workers may still be the same, but you're different, and that gives me hope." She smiles at him, hoping he'll understand what he's done for her today, all the days before it. Her sisters and Furiosa always indulged her ideas, but Nux is the one to help her with every crazy plan, no questions asked. She hadn't expected him to take his new role so seriously. She knew as his wife he would do his best to keep her safe, and she had her made peace with likelihood that she would now need to take orders from him - at least in front of everyone else - but he had yet to ask anything of her, let alone demand it. Instead he offered to help her with each increasingly ambitious project.
Capable realized he was behaving as a real husband would, treating her as a friend and partner. No, not quite like a husband. He still avoided touching her when it was just them, or sharing a bed outside of this evening's brief respite. But he could not completely hide his enjoyment when she was near, tense though he may be. Perhaps he was just shy? Or didn't want to push her to do anything she didn't want? The thought made her chest feel pleasantly tight. Maybe he just needed her to make the first move? Her smile turns mischievous.
Nux isn't sure what to make of her praise, and even less sure what to think of this new expression on her face. She reaches over to carefully brush her fingers over where he has hurt himself, drawing her hand down to cup his cheek. He lets her coddle him, pressing his face into her small palm. She takes this as a promising sign, and begins inching ever closer to him. She slowly draws her face nearer, giving him plenty of time to pull back if he truly wishes to. But when he only widens his eyes at her proximity, she closes the gap between them and presses her lips to the corner of his mouth. He takes in a very audible breath and she moves to meet his lips fully. She finds them surprisingly soft, and enjoys the warmth that radiates from this single point of contact. Nux feels as though his entire body has been hooked up to a car battery, and any movement might cause his brain to short out. But when Capable begins moving their lips more firmly together, he finds he doesn't mind the shocks that pulse through him. The kiss deepens without any prompting, and Nux finally dares to reach his hand into the curls that have been tempting him since he had seen it glowing blood red and so warm in the cold moonlight. Capable takes the hand not on Nux's cheek and places it over his heart, feeling it beat faster than she thought possible. The sliding her hand across his shoulder and down his arm, she guides his free hand around her waist to slip up under her top. Nux has a sudden, painful realization that he was doing exactly what he had promised himself he wouldn't. He draws his hand back quickly - he had sworn to do anything to keep Capable safe from danger, even from himself. He pulls back and she looks so bereft he almost gives in and returns to her embrace. So he does the only thing he can think to, and bolts.
Nux has started spending most of his waking hours down with the War Boys, sneaking down before Capable wakes and sometimes even working through the nights. He knows avoiding her isn't helping, that it's just making them both more miserable, but he can't think of any other solution. He has made his shining goddess feel rejected, when he is the one who is unworthy of her. If he tries to explain this to her she will only confuse him with her lovely words, words that tempt him to believe he could almost be good enough. And he can think of no other way to express his humble devotion but to serve her down here with the other boys. So he spends his time directing the War Boy's restless energies into rebuilding the fleet that will keep them safe and enacting some of Capable's more intensive projects - including routing clean water to the boy's living quarters and developing new armor for battle.
Furiosa and Nux both imply that this armor will make the boys look even more fearsome to their enemies, but secretly they hope that Capable's idea will keep them safer in combat, with the added benefit of protecting them from the Sun's damaging radiation. Capable previously had at least managed to trade the toxic warpaint the boys had been using for a harmless red clay, though a few well-placed threats from Furiosa had certainly helped. The boys quickly adapted to the clay (imagining to themselves they looked as though they were smeared with the blood of their enemies) and were surprisingly enthusiastic about the armor, competing with one another to create the most fearsome battle suit. The current champion had managed to affix a still-fleshy skull to the top of his helmet, but at least they seemed to be enjoying themselves and keeping busy.
The illusion of peace is shattered only a few days later. Capable has been down to visit the War Boys a few times since Nux has taken to hiding, and each time she discovers him he makes excuses to be just outside of her periphery. His brain was muddled from too many nights without sleep, and though he always remembers to remain near to her while she is here, he can no longer remember why it was so important that they are seen together. A few of the boys grow bolder in the face of his seeming disinterest in her. It starts off harmlessly, with some of the War Boys attempting to show off in front of her. She is more amused than anything at their displays, particularly at one boy who has thought to gift her with a small lizard. He intends for her to eat it, she thinks, but instead she brings it back to the vault as something of a pet. Dag has already named him Max. But then one day she finds herself face to chest with one of the largest boys. She had grown accustomed to them giving her space, so she is surprised to run directly into one of the boys, and even more so when his hands wrap around her arms, holding her in place. She looks up at his face to find a rather unpleasant smirk.
"If Immortan Nux doesn't want you no more, I'll take ya." His words hit straight to where she is most vulnerable, and she freezes within his grip. She suddenly feels the full weight of his abandonment, and ashamed at her part in forcing Nux to leave.
"You dare to touch my wife?" Capable whips her head back to see Nux looking wild as he had when he had been trying to recapture the war rig for Joe. Only there was no anger in him before, as there is now, burning away any kindness in his features. He pushes other boys roughly out of his way as he approaches - the War Boy finally releases his grip but Nux is still barreling towards him. "I'll shred you!" Nux roars, slamming his fist into the taller boys jaw. He delivers several more brutal hits, and shrugs off any returning blows. Nux may be smaller than his opponent but his fury is unmatched. Capable worries he actually might tear the other boy apart, and tries to call him off but it is impossible for Nux to hear anything over the roaring of blood in his body. Capable reaches out to him, gently grasping his arm which Nux immediately recognizes and slowly obeys. The other boy is already collapsing onto the ground as she pulls Nux back and turns him to face her. Wanting to end the fight without unraveling the tenuous respect her has regained, she stands on her toes to kiss him. It is not a gentle kiss, nothing like the one they had shared previously, or at all like the careful boy who once touched her as if she might break, but she knows this kiss isn't between them. It is between the new Immortan and his wife, and now no one will question whether Nux wants her. No one, except her.